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Rabbit, Mischief
Note: The following story is not the same as Rabbit, Mischief & Goddess. A lot of sentences are rephrased. __TOC__ Prologue There is a world ruled by gods that preside over light itself. Among the many myths and legends passed down in this world, the most popular and most peculiar of them all is the story of "The Four Atonements of Litha". There is a reason why this tale is considered peculiar. Many gods appear in "The Four Atonements of Litha". Some of them cooperate with her, and some oppose her, but it is the number of characters that sets this myth apart from all others. There are those who say that is why "The Four Atonements", unlike other myths, has become mere folklore. However, the most hotly debated point of contention among researchers is the human wizard that guides and aids Litha in regaining her power. The wizard has certain characteristics: the wizard is from another world, has a black cat, and uses card-like objects. There are no gods that fit that description, and it is also unlikely that an existing god morphed into the wizard through the process of oral tradition. That is why some claim "The Four Atonements" is a work of pure fiction. Furthermore, Litha herself is unique among the gods who govern this world. She is represented at times as a cunning, mischievous god, and at others as a symbol of wisdom. It is well known that each god has a role and duty; however, Litha's responsibilities are unclear. It is written in many texts that her power that matches the major gods, which leads some to theorize that Litha may indeed play an important role. What that role is,however, is anyone's guess. Only one thing is clear: compared to the other gods, Litha's tales, like "The Four Atonements", involve frequent contact with humans. According to some interpretations, she may have bestowed the wisdom of the gods upon humanity. But that is just one theory among many. "The Four Atonements of Litha"ーtruly a peculiar story about a peculiar god. Here, I will summarize the prequel to "The Four Atonements of Litha", which is called "The Four Quarrels". This story is organized into four disputes that occurred between Litha and the other gods. The First Quarrelー In this story, Litha steals from the gods' treasure vault. Litha tells the guard a lie to get her to leave her post, offers to watch the vault for her, and while the guard is gone Litha pilfers a silver clapper. The Second Quarrelー In this story, Litha steals a deer with golden horns that belongs to a hunter goddess. Litha convinces the goddess that she has found a rabbit that can avoid any arrow. While the goddess is searching for her fictitious quarry, Litha uses the silver clapper, which can control animals, to steal the deer. The Third Quarrelー In this story, Litha is captured by a goddess of war and punished by the gods. Because of Litha's multiple crimes, it is decided she must be punished, and the goddess of war is assigned the task of Litha's arrest. Once they capture Litha, they divide and seal her power away into three sacred treasures, which are entrusted to the goddesses of venom, the guard, and the hunt. Then Litha is turned into a rabbit and placed under surveillance. The Fourth Quarrelー In this story, Litha escapes the gods. Anticipating her eventual capture, Litha had already prepared an escape plan. She uses the silver clapper to summon a herd of wild rabbits then disappears among them. What happens next leads into the events of the "The Four Atonements". When Litha returns to the gods, she is still a rabbit, but she is joined by a wizard and a black cat. Though many highly unusual points must be verified, there is no doubt this tale underpins the belief in Litha and her popularity. It is my personal opinion that regardless of whether it is a fabrication or not, if "The Four Atonements" is the source of so many people's faith and fondness of Litha, the form of this myth's circulation should not be rebuffed. In addition, Litha is famous in certain regions for being the guardian deity of wizards. Litha Litha is an impulsive god. She likes pranks and giving the other gods trouble, but she will also grant the wishes of humans. However, she will only listen to requests said in a certain, unusual way. You have to challenge her with an impossible demand. "How rude. That's a piece of cake, just watch." With those words, she will grant your wish. The problem is, she will grant it her way, which usually leaves you with a messy situation. For example, there is the story about a deer with golden antlers and a scorpion. There was a man with a sick sister. The only way to cure her was to make a medicine by feeding scorpion venom to the hunter goddess's golden-horned deer. The man implored to the goddess. "Please lend me your deer of golden antlers." Yet the hunter goddess refused. Feeding the venom to the deer would cause it to lose the ability to run a thousand miles, and it would tarnish its antlers' shine. That was unacceptable. But the dejected man got some advice from a traveller. "Then make a wish to Litha. But say something like, 'If you even can.' Never compliment her. She's shy, so she'll get all embarrassed and won't be able to do anything." The man entreated Litha just as the traveler told him to. "I bet you can't even steal that gold-horned deer." "How rude. There's nothing I can't do!" Just as she had said, Litha steals the silver clapper from the treasure vault of the gods and uses it to take the hunter goddess's deer. The man was thrilled when he received the deer, but he suppressed his joy. "Hmph. Even if you can capture a deer, I reckon you're too scared to steal the venom from a scorpion." "Scared? I left fear behind ages ago!" Litha tricked the scorpion into believing that alcohol would give it the ability to speak. Then Litha squeezed some venom out of the drunk scorpion's tail. When she gave the man the venom, he did not hide his delight. "Litha, you're amazing! You can pull off anything." "Why are you being so nice all of a sudden? You can't fool me." Just as the traveler warned, Litha became bashful and never appeared before the man again. The man's wishes were granted, and his sister was cured, but Litha's actions caused quite a stir. The hunter goddess searched for her golden-horned deer, but its antlers' shine had already gone out, making it indistinguishable from the other ordinary deer. When the goddess retreated into sorrow, human hunters began to go home empty-handed. The scorpion descended to the earth in search of Litha, and started attacking people. In the end, the gods decide to punish Lithaー But that is another story. Eleni Eleni was born a traveler. As soon as she was born, she was placed in a small boat and pushed out to sea. She did not know her father and was separated from her mother by the others in the village. The small boat reached the shores of another country, and Eleni was discovered by the king's falcon. The king and his falconer decided to raise her themselves. "She'll be a great falconer one day," the king joked. Her two fathers named her Eleni Visset. The girls trained hard as a falconer. But her skills somewhat exceeded that of humans. Eleni seemed to be able to communicate with creatures of all sorts. The king and falconer took this as a born talent, but the people found the talent strange and disturbing. After the king and falconer passed away, there was no place left for Eleni. In search of her true parents, Eleni left the kingdom. She didn't really care less about her real parents. She just wanted a reason to travel the world. But quickly she found out the truth. Her father was a God that ruled a distant world. The messenger offered her to take her to the God. Also offering life in the Heavenly kingdom. Eleni rejected the offer. She had received hey powers fro the father. But her strength was given to her by her mother. "It's my decision to decide if I am misfortunate or my life is bad. I have my parents who gave me birth and parents who raised me as a child." Eleni Visset. One that travels between the heavens and the human world. Due to her nature of treating the Gods the same was as humans, Eleni appears in many legends and tales. Yusty Even the hardest of criminals are deserving of empathy. The circumstances and severity of their crimes must be considered. This is the guardian that keeps criminals from being abandoned. This guardian is one named Yusty Erlaw. She bears this position for a reason. She herself is a criminal. Her crime was revenge. She had murdered the enemy of her parents, but not without reason. For clearing her parents' name, she was granted a goblet by the king. However what filled that goblet was no more than a poison. Yusty's deeds were noble, worthy of praise. But they were also an undeniable crime. She accepted the goblet as an honor, its contents as a punishment, and drank the foul liquid in one swallow. She had no regrets. When she reached the underworld, she was quickly given a task as punishment. There is a river in the underworld. She was to continually scoop water from the river and pour it into a jug that had no bottom. This was a mundane task with no end. In a world with no night and no day, she continued her task with no start and no end. Yusty quietly did her task endlessly. She accepted her fate with no regrets. Feeling pity for her, a great and noble spirit looked upon her as a rare treasure and granted her passage to the heavens. Her bottomless jar was exchanged for one that would not overflow no matter how much it was filled. Yusty would then fill the jar with an amount of water that matched the punishment criminals would receive. This amount of water would then be used to measure how much she would pray for their forgiveness. ---Please tell me about your crime. She normally started by asking this. The criminal herself would then fill her endless jar with a boundless mercy. ---All creatures deserve protection, no matter their crime. Yusty makes an effort to not talk about her personal past. Not because she wishes to hide it, but because it is an unnecessary topic. She is an empathizer, not one to be empathized with. Her past has no bearing on her duty now. And... ---Even when she was a criminal, not once did she beg for pity or empathy. Thus she was added to the ranks of the gods. She was granted a fitting position. Petra Petra Licke There is little mythology about this god. This is most likely closely due to the fact that she is the executor of divine punishment. Those who have seen Petra do not wish to speak of her. Or they simply cannot. Her duty involves the use of force. Those who escape or defy their punishment are subject to her wrath. ---Divine Execution. Leaving only these words, she realizes her divine will. It matters not who the subject is. One of the few myths of Petra is that of the Whirling Monster. ---There was a goddess. She loved humans. But one man defied her love by telling her "I shall grow old and die. You shall leave me one day." Her response was swift yet extreme. She had two choices. She could kill this man. If she could not realize her love with him, she should eliminate him. Her other choice was to use force and make this man her prisoner. It was that simple. But this goddess was quite simple and reserved. She mixed some of her own blood into a drink and served it to the man, thereby granting him eternal life. The man was happy to have a body that would neither age nor die. And he did not even look at the goddess any more. That was his plan from the start. With his undying body, he became a hero and married a princess, eventually becoming a king. A cruel and humiliating fate awaited the goddess. As punishment for granting a man eternal life, she was changed into a monster of the sea. ---That's very brave of her to just take her punishment like that. ---This was Petra's sister. Petra's sister was now a sea snake, but she followed her remaining memories until she arrived at the land where the man she loved resided. Her misery created a giant whirlpool in the sea and frightened the man who was now a king. The man was disgusted by the sea snake and sent may men to kill it, but they were all defeated. The mean pleaded with the heavens. "I hear that you have created this monster of the sea. If so, please sort this out and destroy it." Then Petra descended to the earth. Before telling the gods' will, she asked the man some questions. ---Do you remember that sea monster? "I do not. It is revolting, please kill it now." ---Do you know my face? The man gazed upon her face. This face bore a striking resemblance to the one who had once given him eternal life. "No. I have never seen you before." ---I will kill the sea monster. That is the will of the gods, that is why I have come. Petra killed the snake. That was her duty. The man was elated at the creature's death and held a feast across the land for 3 days. During the feast, Petra gave the man another drink. The man had a glimmering memory of the time long ago, and thought that he would gain even more power from this drink. In the drink was mixed some of the sea snake's poison. The poison would forever cause the man pain, but his body would not die for it was eternal. ---The blood of a scorned woman and the poison of a snake would cause him eternal agony. This was the will of the gods. ---And of course, I am... Petra Licke. She executes the will of the gods. No fear and no hesitation. That is her existence. Lianne Lianne follows those like Petra Licke, the sword of divine execution, and Yusty Erlaw, the balance of justice, as an embodiment of the heavens. Called the "inerrant divine will," she is often misunderstood. Lianne has a profound mind that can see through the future to guide her. Many will misunderstand her true intentions and be hasty in their actions. Lianne is selective and conservative in her words and exposits only her judgment. Many will fill in her lack of words with their own selfish ideas. However Lianne does not try to stop those who are hasty or selfishly abuse her words. She does not stop others with force or words. There are those who will resist her severe judgment, yet there are also those who will take heed of her words. There are those who will take advantage of her good nature and broad-mindedness, yet there are also those who will be gracious to her. Lianne does not decide which is the correct way. Each has their own path and she will not disturb that. Whatever will happen, will happen. There are also those who claim Lianne to be irresponsible by not guiding people with her visions. ---But that's true is it not? What is the "inerrant divine will?" What is it to be "inerrant?" There are things that are truly unmistakable, are there not? No matter how large her duty is among the gods, she must make mistakes at some point, no? Lianne makes no mistakes. She cannot make any mistakes. ---Her other name is "Fate"--- She does not speak without an understanding of intentions. Hasty actions, misunderstanding of her words, she does not stop this. Nor opposition, admonishment, thankfulness, or selfishness. No affirmation, no denial. Everything is as it shall be. That is no mistake. Each being is in charge of their own fate. Mistakes and denial shall be decided by the owner of that fate. ---I shall tell you your fate. When she says this, it may be to one who escaped their past fate as a criminal. A ruffian has been enlightened and regained their form as a goddess. After enduring an eternity as a criminal, they were added to the ranks of the gods. It may be to one who became the poison and blood that flowed through a mortal man who was loved by a scorned goddess. Or perhaps it is to a loose-tongued goddess who became a poisonous scorpion, and soon an echo. Each fate was created by its owner. Lianne Silvan The inerrant divine will. Also known as Fate. Those in possession of a fate have no choice but accept her words. Veronica Veronica Zimmer is a monstrous poisonous scorpion who was once a goddess. Her talkative nature led to her being changed into this scorpion, which resulted in a complete loss of her talkative tendencies. Veronica's original duty was that of a messenger. However it cannot be said that she did her job well. If her task was to portray a simple message, by the time that message reached its destination it had become a complex mess of other nonsense that she would add on her own. But people were kind and understanding and usually did not mind this quirk. ---Then one day... In spite of there being an unusually high volume of messages, Veronica was left on her own. Veronica was left with the task of conferring the new true names of those who had lost theirs in death. This task was given to her by the goddess in charge of the life cycle. It was not a task that was usually left to her. True names must not be mistakenly conferred. If true names are mistaken then lost souls will not be able to properly enter their new vessels, or will try to forcibly enter vessels of those who have the same name. The results were frightful. The names that she conferred to the goddess in charge of the life cycle were totally different than the original names. But by the time this was found out it was too late. The souls were given the wrong names and started entering into other souls, thus creating the form of a poisonous scorpion monster. As a punishment, Veronica's soul was forced into the body of the scorpion monster that could neither speak nor reason. We all reap what we sow. ---Give me back the power of words! This persistence still remains even after Veronica became the scorpion. One particular goddess who enjoys playing tricks told her that her drink would return Veronica's speech, and without hesitation she drank it. She then understood that it was a lie and chased that goddess down to the earth. Her anger was so overwhelming that it affected all whom she met. She attacked random travelers and destroyed entire kingdoms. Everything was an attempt to retrieve her stolen gift of speech. Her punishment should have been more severe, but it was taken into consideration that she had already left the heavens on her own and she was offered a deal. If she returned to the heavens, she would be given back her speech. Veronica agreed on intuition. For a while she was satisfied with that. However, nobody came to visit her in confinement and she gradually grew unhappy with this life. There were times that she would return to the earth below, but she would control her temper and refrain from causing problems. But her greed grew greater. ---I want to talk more. Just as she was thinking this, she was given the idea to take revenge on those who had wronged her. Fearing that she would lose everything, she turned the idea down. Taking pity on her for choosing to remain in scorpion form, the gods and goddesses decided to save Veronica's soul and let her roam the earth as only a voice. Veronica now remains on the earth as the power that answers back when you call to the mountains. She is the voice of unfulfilled dreams and hopes. Barbra Long ago there was a man on earth who acquired great wealth and power. One day, an odd thing happened and he decided to turn his armies against the heavens. He did so in an attempt to make his wealth and power eternal. This insolent man led his armies to the gates around the temple that governs light in the world. Here he was met with a guardian goddess who carried a huge shield. Not fearing for his life, the man spoke fearlessly. "Open this gate. I have come to meet with the ruler of this temple." ---You shall not pass. You have no right to enter these gates. This enraged the man and he sent his destructively powerful army to attack. They fought long and hard, but they were unable to get past the guardian and her shield. Swords, spears, arrows, nothing could get past it. The man was determined and continued his attack. The boastful man could never return and tell his fellow men that they were unable to defeat a single guardian. The attack continued for many days and the battles repeated over and over, but the guardian was still completely unharmed. Many of the men were tired from of the continuous battle and many ran away in fear. The man was on the brink of collapse. It was here that the insolent man's advisors stepped in to help. "We should bribe the goddess to let us past." The man heard this idea and commanded his men together his fortune and present it to the guardian. "These are valuable and rare treasures from around the world. I shall give these to you if you allow us passage." ---Very well. I shall accept. Surprisingly, the guardian accepted the treasures. As the men tried to enter the gate, the guardian stepped in front and gave them these words. ---You have no right to enter these gates. The man was surprised. The guardian had accepted the treasure in exchange for passage. That was the deal was it not? ---I only accepted your riches because I wanted you to feel that you had tried every option possible. I shall not let you pass. The man had given everything he owned, but was still not able to pass the gates. Having lost almost all his riches, his advisors stole the rest and left the man on his own. This reality hit the man hard and the insolence drained from him and he was left on the battlefield as a different man. He looked as if he had nothing left to live for. ---Now you may pass. The guardian spoke. The man replied "Why? Why now?" ---When you first arrived here, you were far too insolent for any mercy. But now you have gained that mercy. It was then that the man entered the gates and approached those who governed the light. He asked for their mercy. That guardian of the gate was known as Barbra Foss. Ingrit Ingrit Ray is the goddess of hunting. Her bow and arrow weaponry possesses the opposing temperaments of stillness and motion. This juxtaposition is one that not even she herself can control. Once the bowstring leaves her fingers it cannot be stopped. Among the stories of Ingrit's is one of "The 7-foot Target." A playful goddess once caused Ingrit to realize that she had lost a golden horned deer but then remembered that long ago a man came to her to borrow a deer. ---Perhaps that man has that deer. Thinking this, Ingrid went to see the man's home. However, due to scorpion poisoning the deer's horn has lost its shine and power to run so it was unable to tell normal deer from the golden horned deer. Ingrit decided to question the man. ---You still have my deer do you not? If so, return it now. The man went and retrieved a regular deer. He confessed that the deer had scorpion poisoning. ---This is my deer? It's so slow and its horn doesn't shine! Ingrit was angered and demanded to the goddess of judgment that this man be punished. She was told that the playful goddess had already repented for that punishment and it could not happen. The man suggests that to make amends, he could take care of Ingrit's livestock. ---Of course you shall. Saying this, Ingrit approved the man's offer. At that time, a nomad by the name of Eleni was looking after her livestock. He was very pleased that someone would take his place since he disliked being in one spot for a long time. So he taught the new man a useful "trick" and eagerly descended to the world below. This new man worked vigorously to care for the livestock. Ingrit had no choice but to recognize the man's hard work and efforts. Then one day, the man says that he wants to take a break. ---It shall not be. You said that you would care for my livestock. Stay here and care for my livestock. With these words, Ingrit refused the man's request. While she did recognize his diligence, she did not want to let him leave. She feared that if he left once he would not come back. But the man persisted. His sister's wedding was approaching and he must attend. He said that after the wedding finished he would promptly return. The man asked again for time off. But Ingrid was stubborn and would not budge on her refusal. That is when he tried out the "trick" that Eleni had taught him. "If you are able to pierce a target from 7 feet away, I shall stay here. However, if you cannot pierce it then I shall attend my sister's wedding." Ingrit was the goddess of hunting. Piercing a target 7 feet in front of her was simply a game to her. What a weak request, she thought. She pulled back on her bow and aimed at the target. I should miss on purpose. That's all. With these thoughts she let her arrow fly and perfectly pierced the target. Ingrit did not know how to shift her own will. She was unable to not do what she knew how to do. With this type of personality, there was much that she was missing out on. She was allowing her fear to overpower her caring side. She put aside her fear that the man would not come back and allowed her kindness to shine. She told him to enjoy the wedding and to return when it was finished. Riner Riner Valhouse had a taste for and even loved war. Of course, there are many stories of his battles. One of those is the story "Descent into the Underworld." One day, he heard from the earth below the voice of someone speaking ill of him. It was a woman's voice. "You are a horrible god. You stole my son." This was not unusual for Riner. Being the god of war, he had heard many such accusations. But then he listened closely. The woman had 4 sons, but had lost 3 of them in battle. The last one, refusing to be a coward, also went to war. And just today she had received news of his death. Hearing this, Riner felt that he should return at least one son to her. But he was unable to interfere in the workings of the underworld. He could use force to retrieve the son, but that would cause too much trouble. So he enlisted the help of Litha and then Eleni as well. The three of them snuck into the underworld. They were unable to find the children and looking randomly would take too long. Riner gave a command to Eleni, and had the rats guide them through the underworld. While the rats knew every nook and cranny of the underworld, they did not know where the sons were. They searched long and hard but found nothing and decided to leave. The woman who lost her children continued to cry and Riner felt heavy-hearted. Then one day there was word that Eleni had found the slain children. The truth was that the boys had not been killed. The 3 older boys had left the battlefield and were living in hiding. The youngest one had been injured and was being cared for in a local village. After a bit Litha appeared to the children. Litha told them of their mother's grief. Litha told them of the deal where if they went into the underworld, one of them would be saved and returned to their mother. But none of them offered to go. The same offer was made to the youngest son and he decided to go. So Litha took him to the underworld. Soon after that, the area that the 3 older sons were living in was engulfed by war. It was a horrible war and not a single person survived. All 3 of them were sent to the underworld. But their brother was not there. Riner had known that war would befall that area and decided to test the boys. The only one who was given the right to survive was the youngest. The youngest son was brought back to his mother and allowed to live. She was grateful to Riner. This is a story where Riner devised a plan, but there are also tales of Litha's cunningness. Epilogue There is a tale that the Litha after "The Four Atonements" is a different god. What were originally two different gods become one through changes in oral stories passed down. That is what many people think. Litha's actions before and after are quite different. After regaining her power, she became the kind of goddess that does not discriminate between those she likes or hates when giving her knowledge. ---But more important than that, she gave mankind the gift of magic. Giving the gift of magic changed mankind's life dramatically. Conveniences increased and people were able to live much more comfortable lives. But of course with that achievement comes misuse. There were those who used the magic for evil, those who caused war. But we could honestly say that we used our magic for comparatively good purposes. However... Magic is a power that brings mankind closer to the gods. Giving them that gift is against the rules set by those who created this world. That is why Litha was once again punished. Her power stripped, she was changed into a rabbit. This is the second time. There is no case of any other character in this world's mythology being punished twice. That is why some believe that hers is in fact two different legends combined. Myths are the realm of evolving and jumbled stories. Just telling the story a little bit differently can lead to the story changing largely, or becoming a different story entirely. The longer the story is told and the more people it reaches, the greater the chance of the story being changed. Nobody knows what really happened. Myths also act as lessons and morals for the people. They are usually told with an unchanging ending in order to prevent people from manipulating just the end. Yet the story of Litha receiving her second punishment has been told with two different endings. One where she remains a rabbit, and one where she is returned to her original form. She released the power of magic and was punished by being changed into a rabbit. She remains a rabbit for a long time. Or... She is forgiven of her crime and is returned to her original form. For some reason both of these stories are being told across the land. Which one is told will often change between the region and the time period, but one or the other is always told. In one time period she is forgiven, yet in another she is not. In one region she is forgiven, yet in another she is not. Thus both legends continue to live on. There are basic guidelines regarding when and where each version is told. In times of war and hardship, the version where she is not forgiven is told. In times of peace and rest, the version where she is forgiven is told. In other words, she bears our sins as her own. It is said that she granted us the flame of wisdom. For this she has become our fateful counter balance. The two versions will likely never be combined to one. Everything changes with the circumstances and the time. There will be good times and bad times. Mankind must work so that Litha is forgiven as often as possible. The fate of her myth is tied to our own. The two shall likely be linked for all eternity. ---But this could all be a story about a different god. It sounds too far separated from the final actions taken by Litha. That is undeniable. But what if this really is a mythology about a single god? A god who committed a crime and then undertook the punishment in mankind's place. Everyone has their own interpretation. But that's what makes it interesting. Everyone grows as a person, and that growth makes people happy. The magic that permeates this world is similar to the magic that the black cat magician uses. She gave thanks and friendship in her own way. That's one interpretation. How you interpret it is up to you, But it's hard to think that anyone would ignore the underlying friendship in this story.